Here are two tweets to get you ready for draft season:
Saw more Winston/Mariota talk yesterday. Speaking to scouts, expect to see Mariota's 4 games in Nov. '13 to be a focus in the spring (cont)
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 7, 2015
... Mariota hurt his knee on 10/26/13. And with his wheels, and the option game, limited over the next month, he struggled as a passer.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 7, 2015
Let's start with the positive: At least this evaluation has to do with Marcus Mariota's on-field abilities and not that he's "too nice," which is somehow a negative in the NFL scouting world. And that's where the positives end in this particular case.
Mariota played on a sprained left MCL in November 2013. While this obviously limited his mobility, and he played with a large brace to stabilize his knee, scrutinizing these games tells you … what? His ability to play injured? (Oregon went 2-2, losing to Stanford and Arizona in that stretch.) Sure, the knee injury took away his explosiveness as a runner. A knee injury also hinders a quarterback's ability to do just about anything.
2015 NFL mock draft
While the MCL injury wasn't to Mariota's plant leg (which essentially takes away all ability to drive into a throw), it still affects how he could throw the ball. Legs are important for a quarterback! And not just for running!
And if you're wondering how Mariota fared on one leg, well...
Btw, Mariota while "limited as a passer" with MCL injury in 2013: 61% completion rate, 10 TD, 4 INT.
— Bill Connelly (@SBN_BillC) January 7, 2015
Anonymous NFL Scout Season is the dumbest.